Saori's Basketball
by Reignstein
Summary: "That's all you'll be if you keep playing." Seijuro said, eyes cold and empty as he stared at Saori's frozen figure. "You won't be able to jump. You won't be able to walk. You won't be able to breathe." He continued, her eyes set only on the ball that her hand had jerked away. "Just quit before you think you'll get anywhere. You won't."
1. Chapter 00: Positive

**Title:** Saori's Basketball  
**Posted: **05/08/13  
**Rating: T**

**Summary:** "That's all you'll be if you keep playing." Seijuro said, eyes cold and empty as he stared at Saori's frozen figure. "You won't be able to jump. You won't be able to walk. You won't be able to breathe." He continued, her eyes set only on the ball that her hand had jerked away. "Just quit before you think you'll get anywhere. You won't."

**Disclaimer: **I own what I own, nothing more, nothing less.

**© 2013, Reignstein, **The plot of this story and the belong to me. Any similarities that might occur are purely coincidental and I apologize in advance if such an occurrence ever does happen.

* * *

**PROLOGUE  
"POSITIVE"**

* * *

A young boy of ten turned to his father in hopes of an answer. Why were they back in the place where Mama died? Why did the middle aged man draw blood from them? Why was Minami waking around the room? It was all too much for Toki to understand. Grief stricken and confused as he was, though, the male rosette knew better than to talk to his father when he looked as he did in that moment. His mouth that was prepared to bombard him with questions snapped shut, and more questions entered his young, childish, mind. Why did Papa look so scared?

Hayato usually always had a smile on his face when it came to his three children. Even when their mother, Rina, had died, he had exited the hospital room with a smile. "She's in a better place now." He had told the three. "She'll be watching you all the time, so you better behave." Saori and Minami had cried, and Toki had seemed confused. He hated that they kept him in the dark, but Saori had told him that it was for his own good. It was because they all loved him and didn't want him to feel hurt and pained.

It confused the ten-year-old dearly that his father had anything on his face rather than his smile. Hayato's blond hair fell over his brown eyes, hiding the hazy and tear filled orbs from their view. His fingers would not stop moving either. They were either fiddling with one another, or his entire hand was closing and opening, as if it would help release the strong and heavy tension that had settled in the room. This man was a shell of what Kise Hayato was, and this made Toki suddenly worry. What was happening?

"Saori-nee," He whispered, tugging at little-big-sister's blue jacket. "What's going on?"

Blue met blue as Saori turned to answer her little brother's call. Her skin was fair, her hair the color of sunshine, and she offered him the smile that went missing from their father. "It's nothing to worry about." She answered the young rosette. "Just a check-ups. Like the ones we have in school." Her smile widened, and Toki was unnerved. It wasn't only because of how much she reminded him of their mother at that moment. Why was she happy when Daddy and Minami weren't? Why was Saori so calm?

"Saori's right," Came a different voice. "I'm sure **you** have nothing to worry about." Toki's face came in contact with a blonde ponytail. He was spitting out wavy, yellow, strands and completely missed the cold glare that Saori had sent their older sister. Minami just glared right back at her with twice as much venom, twice as much hatred.

Both younger children sat on the examination bed in the room, so it was no surprise to Toki that Minami looked twice as menacing as she stared down at Saori. Her brown eyes were filled with mixed emotions—fear, pain, anger, frustration—and her shoulder length pink hair seemed to drop from their usual curl. Minami screamed hidden panic, and again Toki got curious. What had she meant be her words? Why was Minami mad at him?

"Leave him alone." The twelve-year-old blonde said, cooly.

"Then shut him up." The fourteen-year-old rosette answered.

"Minami." Hayato suddenly spoke, earning the stares of his three children. Toki was gladly surprised, Saori was worried, and Minami was furious. It was the first word he had spoken since Doctor Yokoyama left. "Let Saori handle Toki. He has just as much a chance." Brown eyes turned to Toki and glared, said boy now hiding behind his little-big-sister in hopes of getting away from it. What chance? What was Papa talking about?

"Liar." Minami snapped back, changing her prey from her brother to her father. "I read the charts. Out of the three of us, he should be the one that's home free!" Saori tried to cover Toki's ears as their oldest sibling spoke, but the ten-year-old refused to be left out any longer. The blonde girl settled for glaring at the rosette, and said rosette glared at their father who still refused to look at any of them. "Hell, I bet I'm the only one at risk of it!" Saori's glare hardened, and Toki turned once more to their father.

"Lower your voice, Minami." Was the only response she was given.

She fumed silently as she stomped her foot, walking over to the window and gazing out of it as if what she was seeing would solve the unknown problem. Saori placed an arm around Toki's shoulder and squeezed, offering him another one of her Mama-Looking smiles. "Minami's just being the brat she is." She whispered to him, winking as she rolled her eyes and pointed at their older sister. It made Toki smile slightly, but all was far from forgotten. He would stop for now, though. It was obvious none of them were going to let the reason easily slip out.

The examination room went back into the awkward and uncomfortable silence that it had possessed since the Doctor walked out on them, promising to return with results. Father remained motionless, save for his hands, and Minami switched between watching the outside scenery and glaring at a softly humming Saori. It was a familiar song. The lullaby that mother used to sing for them as young toddlers, Toki realized. 'My Children, The Stars' was the title, if he recalled correctly. Why was Saori humming that of all songs? In the place where their mother died no less. Toki guessed that it was probably the reason why Minami was glaring so intensely and so heatedly.

He was partially right.

There was a soft clicking sound from the door as the knob turned slightly, and all eyes turned towards the piece of wood until it opened to reveal a man with glasses. His hair was graying, his skin was pale, and he was giving them a small smile. Seeing his father's eyes for the first time, Toki realized that he was worse a wreck than Minami. Had he gotten even a wink of sleep last night? The black circles under his eyes were so noticeable that they had looked drawn. Turning back to the Doctor, though, that uneasy feeling in Toki's stomach worsened.

The smile never left the doctor's face as he took a stool and sat down in front of the worried family. Couldn't he show a little bit of humanity? Couldn't he have looked the slightest bit concerned? Others' suffering causes you to see your blessings, but couldn't he at least try to look a little sad for them? He could have just acted for all they cared. "The results of your children's tests have returned." Senji Yokoyama began. "And if I am permitted to say, it could have been worse."

Toki smiled widely at the good news given, but looking around, he realized no one else was doing the same. All three of his family members glared at the still smiling Doctor, his dad's being harder and more venomous than anything his sisters' could pull off. It seemed that to them the words held no comfort. Again, the young boy felt left out. Understandable, for he did not know that the Doctor had guaranteed at least one of them a death sentence. The other three did know; however, and hated the Doctor's informal way of approaching the subject. How insensitive.

"Kise Toki-kun?" Senji began, turning to the rosette boy beside Saori. The blonde's hold tightened around his shoulders, and Toki placed a hand above hers in comfort. "You're a very lucky boy, you've tested negative." Saori released a breath, Hayato did as well. Toki smiled up at his blonde sister, still quite unsure about what he was negative for. Both his sister and his father were happy though, and so he offered Hayato a smile as well. This time, his father returned it. Turning to Minami though, his smile disappeared. She had rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She couldn't have cared less.

"Kise Minami-chan?" He called out, and Toki saw how she suddenly **did** care. He actually felt angry towards her. Saori and Hayato had turned towards the oldest child as well. She was the most scared out of all of them, and she was the most worried. Saori was willing to bet that her heart was hammering in her chest. It was between the two girls now, and the Doctor had basically confirmed that at least one of them had it. So was it just one? Or was it both?

"You're negative as well."

Toki watched as his oldest sister smiled widely. "I did?" She asked, ignorant of Saori's sudden discomfort. "Did you hear that Dad? I don't have it!" Minami was so happy, and again Toki felt that rush of anger. He had squeezed Saori's hand in comfort, seeing that his little-big-sister was suddenly not as cheerful as she was moments ago. Toki noticed how his father offered Minami a smile, almost forgetting about the middle child that wanted the earth to open and swallow her whole. Almost.

"Saori-nee!" The young rosette suddenly called out, turning to his sister to offer her some comforting words as she did for him. "Why are you crying?" Never had she cried—aside from Mama's death. Toki was at a loss for words as Saori suddenly turned to him with the widest smile she could muster, wiping away the tears that had fallen against her will. Hayato sighed as he placed his head in his hands, and Minami had stopped her victory dance and replaced her smile with a frown. It seemed the realization had kicked in. Even the insensitive Doctor wasn't smiling anymore.

"I'm really happy!" Saori excitedly answered. "I'm happy for you and Minami-nee." He wanted to call out her lie, but he didn't. His father was giving him a look that said he would explain later, and the Doctor sighed now as well. "I mean, two out of three! That's favorable!" Fake happiness. Fake smile. Fake tears of joy when she was mourning. Toki suddenly felt angry at Saori now as well. He was not some little kid to be shielded anymore!

"Saori-chan, it would be an entire decade at least before you start showing any symptoms." The doctor assured. "Maybe even longer, some don't experience it till they hit their forties even." His words did nothing to comfort the blonde girl as she turned towards him and shook her head. Her world was collapsing around her, there was no need for empty reassuring words from a doctor who knew nothing about their family. From a person who didn't understand what it was like to go through something like this for a second time.

"Saori—" Minami tried, but the blonde just continued to shake her head.

"I'm fine," She said, the forced smile still not leaving her face. "At least you and Toki didn't get it right? Ironically, I thought I would be safe cause I was the only one who didn't get mom's hair." Saori let out a laugh at the horrible attempt of a joke. Toki felt that anger grow. "Besides, you heard the doctor. A decade, I don't have to worry about it for ten years!" The tears cascading down her cheeks betrayed her every cheery word and movement.

"There are clinical trials now, and by the time you begin experiencing the symptoms, maybe one of the drugs to reduce the severity of your symptoms would finally be approved by the Department of Health." The doctor tried to reassure the girl, and she forced the smile wider as she looked at her dad.

"Hear that Dad? I could have something that they didn't have for Mom!" Saori's cheery façade did nothing but aggravate the youngest in the room further. He was holding her hand so tightly now, trying to control himself from shouting and from telling her that she should just let it all out. Whatever the hell it was. "Maybe they can even find a cure! Technology now is amazing, and maybe—"

"STOP IT!" Toki suddenly exclaimed. "You're not fine! Stop acting like it!"

"Yes, I am!" Saori, excitedly, answered. "Didn't you hear what the doctor—"

"Saori, stop." Minami managed to say, hugging both her sibling close all of a sudden. "You're strong, but this is the one time that you don't have to pretend just so that no one would worry about you." As if having a switch flipped, Saori's tears escalated. Sobs broke out of her as the despair and sorrow flooded her body. She had seen her mother at her worst, and though it was nothing to what Minami experienced, it was enough to make her scared. Saori did not want to go through that, but it seemed that the Universe had other plans that did not include her in it.

That was the first time that Toki had ever seen his little-big-sister breakdown.

* * *

_**Rewritten version of Prologue is finished! Wow, this was the quickest I've ever re-written something. To be honest, I lost inspiration for this story, but having re-watched the season awakened my need to write this story. When I re-read it though, I basically thought that this was not going to work, and so I started this re-writing project. I mean, it's the same plot, but I tweaked it a bit. Hopefully you'll all prefer it, but I can't really say that seeing as I haven't even posted a lot of the story. I'm such a fail, right? I know. Don't worry this is going to be a priority from now on! And though I can't promise fast updates, I will at least try.**_

_**So this pretty much shows the same thing. Saori is positive for an unknown illness, Minami (formerly Kei) is a bit of a bitch but sort of shows some comfort in the end. I gave Toki more opinions here, seeing as he is ten and is capable of thinking on his own. I gave the Dad less focus though. I thought that maybe it was more important to know what the three kids were going through.**_

_**On the other hand, the idea for the insensitive doctor came when I met a doctor like that. I mean, a Doctor should smile but not when delivering bad news. For Christ's sake, be human and sensitive. It doesn't help no matter how good the news if there is at least bad—health wise at least. Don't act all cheery and happy and as though the world was made of unicorns and rainbows! Have you ever met a Doctor like this? If you have, sock him in the nuts or hit her over the head. I wish I did that.**_

_**Oh, I changed the Summary too by the way! Decided to give you all a hint as to what her illness is. Take it as an 'I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long' or as anything you want. Fans of a certain show should know what the illness is in a heartbeat, but come on, don't spoil! Keep the others guessing! *WINK***_

_**Enough of that though. Leave a review and tell me what you think, or leave a review after you've read the re-write of Chapter One and after I've posted Chapter Two! OPINIONS MATTER, DON'T FORGET! The flow of the story could improve thanks to your opinions, and you might end up disliking this story if you just leave it all upped to me. Readers and Writers have a give and take relationship, okay? **_

_**Reign, over and out!**_


	2. Chapter 01: Encounter

**Title:** Saori's Basketball  
**Posted: **05/08/13  
**Rating: **T

**Summary:** "That's all you'll ever do if you keep playing." Seijuro said, eyes cold and empty as he stared at Saori's frozen figure. "You won't be able to jump. You won't be able to walk. You won't be able to breathe." He continued, her eyes set only on the ball that her hand had jerked away. "Just quit before you think you'll get anywhere. You won't."

**Disclaimer: **I own what I own, nothing more, nothing less.

**© 2013, Reignstein, **The plot of this story and the belong to me. Any similarities that might occur are purely coincidental and I apologize in advance if such an occurrence ever does happen.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE  
"ENCOUNTER"**

* * *

"You know Toki," Saori began, her boiling blood reaching new levels as her brother walked steadily beside her. "You don't actually have to walk me to school every single day."

Now, don't get the blonde wrong. She loved her little brother dearly, probably more than any other person on the planet all humans now occupied, but there were just some things that she couldn't help but hate him for. One of them would be the fact that he was taller than her at the age of thirteen, but at the moment, that paled in comparison to the reason she had for strongly disliking him. Currently, the fifteen-year-old just wanted to get away from her over protective little brother.

"But Dad told me that I had to." He answered, nonchalantly. "He said that it was my responsibility to guard you every time you left the house." Saori grinded her teeth as she turned to her brother, staring daggers at his head. Toki didn't pay her much mind though, and decided instead to blow air into his hands and rub them together. There was a rather chilly wind blowing in from the east. He regretted not bringing his gloves.

"Well, I don't know if you've been living under a rock for the past three years, but there's this thing called lying." The blonde continued, crossing her arms and turning away from her brother when she realized the glare was not affecting him in the slightest bit. She cursed Minami for being scarier than her. "It involves telling someone else something they'd want to hear rather than the truth. Have you heard of it?" Toki stared ahead, not spared his sister a glance. He placed his hands in his pocket now, trying to shield them from the Summer Chill.

"You should listen to your older sister when she speaks." Saori added, with the rosette nodding beside her and ticking her off more. So he was listening, but he wasn't paying attention. Damn her father for drilling the defensive mentality into Toki's ten-year-old brain! She didn't need a body guard, as she had told Kise Hayato many times. The man just refused to listen. Apparently, as a father, he knew best.

Ever since Toki had turned eleven and Minami had graduated from Teiko, this had been Saori's morning routine. Her father never permitted her to leave the house without him—whether it be with friends or for school activities. The worst part of everything was that Toki actually followed. He was usually pretty rebellious when it came to orders and chores, yet this was one of the few things he did religiously. Saori sometimes thought that it was just to piss her off and annoy her, but she highly doubted it.

She was, however, very capable of walking herself. She was also strong enough to defend herself if the need came. She did not need an escort everywhere she went just because her father was afraid that the symptoms would start showing early. A decade, the doctor had stated. It would take ten years for anything to happen, and three years in, her father was already worrying that it could progress. Saori just found everything he did dramatic. The blonde loved her family more than anything in the world, but even they managed to get on her last nerve.

"I'm not just doing it for Dad, you know." The pink haired middle schooler finally voiced. "I'm doing it for me too." He continued on. Saori actually felt touched that he would admit. He had been less affectionate as of late. "I mean, who else would make my waffles every morning if something happened? Minami-nee can't cook and dad burns everything he tries to make. Face it, we'd all starve if you weren't around." She sighed. She really should have seen that one coming. Saori just slapped her brother's arm for the answer. Gone were the days that she could whack him over the head for being such a stupid kid. Annoying growth spurts.

"Besides, it's not bad to walk you to school." Toki continued on. "The girls in your school are ten times hotter than the ones in mine. Satsuki-san must really be one of a kind, huh? To be so properly developed at the age of thirteen." This just caused another vein to burst in Saori's forehead. Yes, she knew of Toki's long time crush on her best friend. Yes, she knew of her brother's rather perverted personality. Yes, she has scolded him numerous times for it. It wasn't any help that Satsuki seemed to enjoy the attention Toki gave her either, finding it just _**'**__**absolutely adorable**__**' **_of him.

"Why do I feel like that insult was directed at me too?" Saori blurted out, contemplating. She was far from plain with her blue eyes and blond hair, but she was also very far from her bubbly best friend.

"Don't feel too bad." The rosette answered her. "You have stuff worthy of ogling too. Especially if the guy is walking behind you." At the slightly perverted and embarrassing words that Toki spoke, Saori couldn't stop herself from jumping lightly and whacking her brother across the head. She was part of the previous Teiko Girls Basketball Team, and though she was not the best player, she could jump high enough to reach the back of Toki's head with ease. Saori still wished that the jump was unnecessary though.

"What?!" Toki answered defensively, rubbing his, now, aching head. "You know it's true!"

"What's true?" The sudden voice made the siblings jump apart. Toki's head injury was forgotten as he focused on his breathing. Saori on the other hand mentally groaned as she recognized the voice. Turning around, both were faced by a teenager with light blue hair and light blue eyes that betrayed nothing of his emotions or thoughts. The blonde truly hated it when he did that. She already had a lot of troubles, having to worry about a heart attack at the mere thought of Kuroko Tetsuya did not need to add to that.

"What's true?" Tetsuya repeated, voice as stoic as ever. He held a book in his hands too, but he was holding it too low for Saori to get a glimpse of the title. The summer hadn't changed him at all, it seemed, not that she was expecting it too. Actually, she hadn't been expecting to see him after Middle School at all. None of **them**, to be honest.

Managing to get her breathing back to normal—poor Toki wasn't as used to it as she was yet, and she prayed that he would never have a reason to—Saori released a few words. "You know, Tetsuya-kun," She began, her voice in a tone that her mother once often used when scolding her and Minami whenever they got into a fight. "Greeting people 'Good Morning' is customary before scaring them to death." The rosette nodded his head in agreement, hand still on his chest as he tried to calm himself.

"Good Morning." The phantom sixth man started. "What's true?"

Saori left the explanation to Toki—it was his idiotic thoughts after all—and instead decided to inspect the uniform that Tetsuya was wearing. She was sure that any school that had any of the six members of the Generation of Miracles would be one to watch, and it shocked Saori when the uniform came off as familiar. It was a pair of grey—almost black slacks, matched with a stop of the same color. There was a strip of blue going down the front, and it could also be seen around the cuff of the long sleeves.

"You go to Seirin High School?" Saori found herself saying, not double thinking her words and not caring if she had interrupted Toki's rant about how perfect Satsuki was. His blue eyes met her blue eyes as he trailed down her own clothing. It was a white skirt with a matching white sailor top. There was a green necktie around her neck, and the same green color was the lining and detail of the long collar.

"Yes," Tetsuya answered. "So do you."

The blonde had many questions in her mind after finding out this predicament. Why had he chosen a fairly new school rather than a famous one like the others? She had thought, at first, that Tetsuya would have gone to Touou High School. It was the school that Satsuki was attending, after all, and the pinkette had often stated that she would follow Tetsuya to the ends of the Earth. Checking her watch; however, she noticed this was not the time for questions.

Realizing the chance of escape from the over protective brother, Saori took hold of Tetsuya's arm and smiled at Toki with satisfaction. She also apologized to Satsuki in her mind and made a mental note to treat her to some ice cream. "How about you head on to Teiko now, Toki?" The blonde suggested. "I'll walk with Tetsuya-san to school, he's trustworthy right? He's Ryota-nii's friend!"

Toki glared at Saori venomously. He was just about to counter back and challenge her authority, but he too spotted the time on his own watch and noticed that he would be late if he continued walking to Seirin. It was, indeed, getting rather late. Tetsuya, on the other hand, watched the interaction between the two siblings with interest and without interest. He had taken note of Saori's twitching fingers on his arm. She was nervous.

"Just this once." Her little brother finally answered. Saori did a victory dance in her head. "If anything happens though, you're explaining to Dad and I'm not leaving your side for the next three years." Toki turned towards the direction of Teiko and headed off, merely waving back as he heard his sister's call of thanks. When he turned the corner and she was sure he was out of hearing distance, he released Tetsuya's arm.

"Thanks for playing along, Tetsuya-kun." The blonde said, laughing slightly at Toki's panicked and torn expression as she began to walk towards her school. How she would have paid to have gotten that on a picture. Now if only she could get Minami to pull an expression like that, or her dad even! She would have to plan something else for another day to get Toki to leave her be, but she really didn't doubt that her brother had meant his words. This would be the first and last time that she was free to roam the streets of Tokyo alone.

"What did he mean by 'If Anything Happens'?" Saori jumped once again. Had Tetsuya been walking beside her this entire team? Hadn't he gone ahead? He really needed one of those bell collars to at least alert people that he had moved from his position. Perhaps she would get him one as thanks for him helping her.

"You know the usual." She answered. "Getting hit by cars, chased by a dog, and all of that."

"He seemed a bit too worried for it to be that." Tetsuya didn't push any further than that, and she was thankful.

"Did you join the Basketball Club in Seirin?" He decided to say instead. "Or are you just managing the Boys Club this year?" Saori was truly unsure how his words could sound nosy and uncaring at the same time, but they did. She also stopped walking when she heard the tabooed sport—when it came to her ears—and glared at Tetsuya. Was he mocking her? He had been there when **it** had happened. He may not have known the real reason, but he was there none the less, when Seijuro had torn her spirit apart. To shreds.

"No." She answered curtly. "Your captain has proven to everybody how useless I can be. I have no skill."

"I don't either, doesn't stop me." His stoic words angered her further. He was not the same as her.

"**You** **won't be able to jump. You won't be able to walk. You won't be able to breathe.**" The words rang in her head over and over again. **"Just quit before you think you'll get anywhere. You won't."** Those words that destroyed and ended any dream she had regarding the sport that was Basketball.

"This was fun, Tetsuya-san." Saori stated. "Let's make sure to never run into each other again, okay?"

Tetsuya stared after her as the words that escaped her mouth. The fake smile, the obvious annoyance, the effort to keep herself composed. None of these things escape him. "I'll go now though, wouldn't want to interfere with your reading after all." Tetsuya watched as Saori walked on ahead, leaving him in the side walk and turning the corner that lead towards their school. Shrugging slightly, he went back to reading his book.

* * *

_The room was filled to the brim with remote controlled cars. _

_There was a shelf dedicated solely to Ferraris, and there was another for Volkswagen bugs. Ryota had never seen anything quite like it, but he was amazed by it. Was this all Toki's? The blonde wondered to himself, shaking himself out of his stupor and finally sitting down beside the girl that was situated on the play room couch. She smirked as she noticed his awe, hiding it by turning her head slightly to the left. Ryota wouldn't have really noticed if she hadn't. He was too busy staring at a Mini Cooper driving around them._

"_Toki's obsessed with them." Saori explained, tapping Ryota's shoulder to finally gain his attention. It worked, for the most part, but he still snuck glances at the blue and white vehicle every so often. "Mom and Dad used to buy him one every time they cancelled on him. They even got him one every time they had to go to the hospital." The girl added, Ryota's wide eyes suddenly relaxing at the mention of his late aunt._

"_I'm sorry," He whispered. "About Aunt Rina." _

"_I'm sorry too." Saori answered. "I mean, we had to drag you, Mariya-nee, and Naomi-nee underneath the hot sun. We—well, I told Dad that we didn't have to make a big deal out of it, but he was set on the idea." She smiled, and he frowned. Toki had looked up from the remote of his Mini Cooper and frowned as well. Both boys hated how she acted, especially because she was allowed to be angry and sad now more than ever. Saori didn't do any of that, she just kept smiling and laughing and smiling again._

"_Doesn't it hurt?" Ryota settled on saying. "I can't imagine coming home and not seeing my Mom cooking something for dinner. I can't even imagine having dinner without my Dad suddenly coming in the door and shouting he was back." Toki felt tears prick his eyes at the exact same routine they had once gone through. Now it was nothing but a memory, never to happen again outside of dreams and fantasies. Home videos too, probably._

_The blonde girl noticed the change in her brother's demeanor, and she got up from beside Ryota and decided to sit beside him on the floor instead. It was carpeted with a white, furry fabric anyway, it was comfortable. Saori placed a hand on her brother's head and ruffled his hair affectionately and comfortingly. She then settled on placing it around his shoulders and pulling hime a bit closer to her. Toki rested his head on her shoulder then, the tears slowly rolling down his eyes as he hid his face in the crook of her neck._

_Ryota was his idol, he was very cool. He didn't want his idol to see him in this state, even if they were cousins. The thirteen-year-old wouldn't have minded though. He understood, though only through sympathizing, what they were going through. Saori offered him a smile though, and he returned it. He also understood, a little bit, why Saori was acting as she did. Someone needed to be that rock that everybody could lean on._

"_It hurts, probably more than any other hurt I've felt in my life." His cousin answered, now rubbing circles on her brother's back. She had her own tears building up in her blue eyes, and Ryota felt the need to sit beside her and be the one to comfort her as she did Toki. "But Dad told us it would hurt, and he told us that it was better to just enjoy what time we had left with her. There was no point in hating her and getting mad at her."_

"_I don't want to bring up bad memories." The thirteen-year-old began, unsure of how to say his next words. He thought that maybe it was better to treat it like a band aid and get it over with. No matter how much he hid it behind nice sounding words, it would still have the same effect. "But why did Aunt Rina die?"_

_Toki's tears escalated to sobs, and Saori's smile faded slightly. "She—"_

"_Minami-chan, wait!" Came the sudden call of Naomi's voice. "Minami-chan!" She called once more, only to be answered by the loud slamming sound of the pink haired girl's bedroom door. Ryota turned to Saori and noticed that the girl's eyebrows were knitted in uncertainty. She continued her comforting notions towards Toki, but she seemed torn about whether she should stay or if she should check on her older sister and find out the cause._

_The blue door of the play room opened to reveal two girls. Both were blond, but their eyes were different. One girl was around fifteen years of age, while the girl beside her was probably closer to seventeen. The younger girl looked a lot like Ryota, with her brown eyes, but the oldest amongst the three possessed orbs black as a raven's feather. Both older girls wore looks of apology, grief reflecting in their eyes._

"_We tried to talk to her," Mariya, the fifteen-year-old, explained. "But she wouldn't even talk about Aunt Rina. When we pushed she got mad and ran." Ryota sighed at his sisters' impatience, but he knew that they were just doing their best to help. Even Saori understood, and she offered them one of her reassuring smiles. Both seemed to relax slightly thanks to the gesture._

"_She's the most sensitive out of all of us." Saori explained, turning to Toki and stroking his hair lightly. "She really loved Mom a lot, and well, Minami-nee spent the most time with her." Naomi nodded in understanding and moved to sit beside Ryota on the couch. Being who he was, the blonde boy stood and offered his seat to his other sister who gladly took it. He then situated himself on Toki's other side and began rubbing his younger cousin's back. Saori whispered him a silent thanks._

_Silence remained—aside from Toki's quieting sobs. Naomi and Mariya watched Saori whisper into Toki's ear, and they also observed Toki's silent answers. When they both turned to Ryota, he gave them a look and shook his head, explaining that they didn't need to know. Mariya was about to push and speak, but Naomi stopped her with a wave of her hand, nodding at her brother's unspoken instructions._

"_Mom wouldn't want to see you crying."_

"_Then she should have been here to scold me."_

"_Don't be selfish."_

_Naomi felt tears in her eyes. Their Aunt Rina really was someone special. Everyone in the family loved her, and even their own mother just adored her. Both girls, Mariya and herself, had gone to her for advise on boys and clothing—when their mother was not available, of course—and she had helped them without a second thought. If it had hurt for them to lose her, what more for Minami, Saori, and Toki? _

"_You're should check on your sister, Saori." Naomi decided to say, seeing the restless eyes that zipped towards the door as another slam echoed in the walls. "I think she just threw her table lamp. We'll handle Toki-kun." The youngest blonde sent her gratitude as Ryota took hold of the ten-year-old and gave her a thumbs up in good luck. Minami was not the most pleasant person to deal with during such situations, so Saori appreciated the gesture more than she would care to admit, even to herself._

"_Thanks Naomi-nee, Mariya-nee," She began, turning to the two girls on the couch as she stood. "You too, Ryota-nii." The boy offered her a smile as he pointed towards the door and told her to calm the drama queen. She chuckled and nodded, exiting the room and going to the pink door beside the play room's blue one. Saori took a long and needed breath before knocking three times._

"_Minami-nee," Saori started. "Are you alright?"_

"_Leave me alone!" Minami shouted, voice muffled by tears and walls._

"_Do you want to talk about it?" The blonde persisted._

"_I said leave me alone, freak!" The rosette replied. "I don't need your help!"_

_Saori slumps her shoulders in defeat as she is about to turn around. She thought of fetching her father downstairs, where he would be talking with her Uncle Shota and Aunt Hikari. Perhaps he would be able to get through to Minami and explain to her that everyone was just trying to help her and understand her. The door slid open slightly though, revealing that the rosette had failed to lock her bedroom door. Taking another much needed breath, Saori pushed the door open and shut it behind her with a soft click._

_The room was a mess, with different knick knacks on the floor. Naomi had been right, and the lamp was now laying broken on the floor spot just beside the left wall. She saw things that their mother had given her, and Saori frowned. Minami would surely regret destroying those when she woke up the next day. Looking at her sister's school desk though, she was relieved to notice that the ring their mother had left her was still intact. Minami would have hated herself if she accidentally threw that out of her window._

_Turning to her sister, Saori was greeted by a hateful glare from Minami's brown eyes. She sat on her bed, short hair a mess and pillow hugged to her chest. Her legs were curled under her, her back leaning on the wall just beside the window. Saori wondered when she had moved it there. It used to be situated in the center of the room._

"_Stop over reacting." The younger Kise tried. "Naomi-nee and Mariya-nee are just trying to help you, like their trying to help Dad and Toki and me." Minami's glare became more menacing for just a second before she turned away and gazed out of her window. Saori sighed and remained leaning on the door, afraid to go closer. Minami had once chucked her clock in her direction when she tried to get too close, and she had no wish for a repeat._

"_You know, people would know what to say or what not to say if you actually talked to them." She decided to continue. "Dad probably knows how you feel if not more, but your sealing him out too. If you're gonna push everyone away, at least explain why so they can give you the space you need. Stop acting like the Drama Queen you always are." Saori tried to remain calm, but her hands shook in fear when Minami turned to her with such a murderous gaze. The blonde kept a solid hold on the door knob, just in case she needed to run and get their father._

"_What do you know, freak?" Minami said coldly, fearfully. "You were always Dad's favourite, always the blonde and perfect angel. All I had was mom!" The rosette finally shouted, hurling the pillow towards Saori. The blonde ducked and the pillow made contact with the door behind her. It fell to the ground with a soft thud. "None of you will even __**begin**__ to understand what I feel!"_

"_Then help us understand—"_

"_SHUT UP!" Minami blocked, throwing another pillow. Saori didn't dodge this one, and admitted that it hurt just a bit. Nothing compared to the clock though. "Mom was there for me in everything! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS! You don't even know how much I've lost and how much I'm going to lose because of this! Toki doesn't even understand what we're going to go through, and you keep pretending like nothing's wrong! EVERYTHING IS!"_

"_Why don't you just let—"_

"_I said SHUT UP!" This time it was a notebook, and Saori ducked as Minami's glare became intense, almost crazy looking. "None of you get it! I could die, you could die! And Mom already is! You're all pretending like everything is going to be okay because we're going to move past this, but we never will! I NEVER WILL! I—"_

"_You're not the only one who lost her!" Saori finally shouted, anger finally revealing itself. "We're trying to understand, but you don't seem to understand that You. Aren't. The. Only. One!" Perhaps her father and her aunt and uncle heard, perhaps Toki and cousins heard. Saori didn't care anymore. She was sick and tired of Minami acting like the victim, and God help her if she wasn't going to finally let her know it._

"_Toki and I lost our mom too! DAD LOST HIS WIFE!" The blonde continued on, picking up the pillow and throwing it back at Minami. The rosette caught it without much trouble. "We're just as risk as you are, and you have no idea how much I'm trying to make this work! Toki keeps crying and sneaking into my bed, Dad is just getting back to normal! I don't need you acting like a BRAT just because you think you're the only victim!"_

_Saori picked up the second pillow and threw it with all the force and strength she could muster. It hit Minami square on the head, but before she could even retaliate with her hurtful words and angry screams, Saori had slammed the door closed behind her as she left her sister's room. She looked up to find Ryota waiting for her in the hall._

"_That bad?" He asked._

"_Worse." Saori answered._

"_Want to talk about it?"_

"_Maybe another time."_

_Ryota nodded his head and walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she did for Toki moments ago. "If it makes you feel any better, I promise that I'll always be here when you need me." Saori shook the arm off and elbowed him lightly on the side. He laughed when he caught her arm, dragging her back towards the play room where Naomi, Mariya, and Toki were waiting. Saori silently thanked him from the bottom of her heart._

* * *

Riko groaned loudly, earning the attention of both black haired players near her. She had her head in her hands, shaking it from side to side as if to show her distaste for whatever it was she was thinking about. When she groaned once again. Shun and Junpei shared a look. What could have possibly gotten their coach so worked up? It was normal for her to have a lot on her mind—especially with the Inter High coming up—but there was still a month at most. What was she stressing herself out so early?

"The first years this year are insane!" She shouted, aggravated. Junpei felt a drop of sweat fall from the back of his head. This was what was worrying her? "There's a player with statistics so great that I can't measure his potential! Then there's a player from the Generation of Miracles with the worst statistics I've ever seen! What the hell is up?!" Junpei wanted to laugh at her frustrations, but decided against it. He wouldn't want her to suddenly drill them so hard that they would actually consider marrying their beds just because of how beautiful they looked when they got home.

"A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative." Shun commented, earning himself a roll of the eyes from Junpei and another groan from Riko. He really needed to know when to stop using these stupid puns, especially when the situation didn't call for it. "And I think that we really won't know anything until we see the practice game later. If he was from the Generation of Miracles, he should have a few surprises up his sleeve."

"How are we sure that he's from the Generation of Miracles, though?" Junpei suddenly added. "Teiko had more listed Basketball Teams than any other school at the time. Over a hundred players! He could have been part of those teams." Riko just groaned once again, lifting her head from her hands to stare at her two players. They were both looking at her as well, waiting for her own opinion on the matter.

"Didn't he say he played in games?" She decided to put in. Actually, she really couldn't put that feeling she had somewhere inside her either. There was something off about Kuroko Tetsuya, and yet she can't pin point which. Also, with his statistics, even Shun's theory seemed low. A boy with a body like that is just not cut out for sports. "That means that he was on the main team right? Besides, what's up with his lack of presence!"

"An invisible man marries and invisible woman, the kids are nothing to look at either." Junpei actually face palms, and even Riko feels a slight irritation towards their resident Point Guard. Shun just ignores them and shrugs.

"Wasn't there that rumor from when we were in Middle School?" The clutch shooter said, deciding to ignore and not comment on his friend's lack of creativity. "That there was the sixth player, the phantom man that people used to talk about." Riko's ears twitched at those words. Phantom Man? It was weird how the title seemed to suit Tetsuya so well. He could be easily compared to a phantom.

"Isn't that just a myth?" She voiced.

"Maybe it isn't." Shun answered. "We haven't seen him play yet, so we don't really know. That's why we should just wait for the practice game later. Maybe you can get a better read on Kagami too. I'm already afraid of facing that first year." Junpei had to agree. He would feel sorry for the poor guy that would get stuck to be his point. That boy would be going home battered as hell, for sure. He strongly hoped that it would be Shinji.

"I'm actually thinking of just telling him that he can't be on the team." Riko stated. "I mean, his statistics make him seem pretty frail. I don't want to risk hurting someone like that on the court, and I already have low expectations to begin with. He's pretty short too, so I don't know how he could shoot." She sighed and groaned once again, wondering slightly if that was the right decision to make. Junpei and Shun said nothing, and that troubled her all the more. They were leaving this decision solely to her.

"In democracy your vote counts." Shun offered, turning to her after finishing his words. "In feudalism, your Count votes." Junpei actually smirked at that one, while Riko hit Shun on the arm lightly. It was obvious she was on her own, cause it would be her decisions that benefited and destroyed the team. Stupid Shun for actually making a good pun.

They sat on the roof top in silence after that. It was still morning and classes were yet to start for the day. Riko had approximately eight hours to make a decision. Should she let Tetsuya walk away? What if he had something worth seeing? What if he had a skill worth keeping? Placing her chin between her fingers, she listed all the possibilities and pros and cons she could think of. Before she could voice any of it out though, another presence made itself known.

"It would be a good idea to keep Tetsuya-kun on the team," A girl with blonde hair emerged from behind the wall that blocked the other side of roof top from view. "But that's just my opinion." She had a small smile plastered on her face, but the three students jumped at her sudden appearance. Riko thought that she was having a lot of jump scares lately, and wonders if all the first years would have a lack of presence. It would be a big head ache.

"Who are you?" Junpei asks.

"An acquaintance of Tetsuya-kun, you could say." The blonde answers.

"How do you know him?" Shun asks.

"We went to the same school."

Riko observed the girl. She was standing a good few feet from them, and she talked in a respectful voice expected of an underclassman. She couldn't see much, but she knew that this girl was an athlete or used to be an athlete at least. "Why do you think we should keep Kuroko-kun on the team?" She decided to ask instead, the blond offering her a smile and putting on what seemed like a 'thinking face'.

"I don't think I should spoil much," Saori began. "But I guess I could tell you that yes, he was part of the Generation of Miracles. You could even say that he was actually a very heavy contributor to why they won as much as they did. I mean, they could have done it without him, but it was easier to do it with him." She didn't make a lot of sense, but Riko understood enough to know that she meant Tetsuya had skills that weren't going to be obvious to the naked eye.

"You've seen him play?" Shun asked.

"Lots of times." Saori answered.

"Do you play?" The point guard continued.

"No, I don't." Was her curt response. Riko highly doubted that, scanning her once again. Her arms had muscle, and her legs were strong. She still possessed a girl's figure, but her shoulders were a bit broader and her statistics higher than that of any normal girl. She looked into the girl's blue eyes to find a bit of distaste. It was obvious that Saori had caught her measuring her up. "At least, not anymore." She decided to add, for Riko's benefit mostly.

"Is Kuroko going to be good for our team?" Junpei finally asked. "How does he play? What does he do?" The blond shook her head, winking and turning away from them. Her hair flopped in the wind as she called out and answered in her sing-song tune of voice: "You're gonna have to find that out for yourselves!" To say that Junpei got irritated was an understatement. From just his eyes, you could tell that he looked like he had just gone into clutch time mode.

Saori closed to door to the roof top after that, leaving the three Seirin student once again.

"Doesn't she know who she's talking to?" The team captain began, menacingly. "That's not how you talk to your upperclassmen. She should show respect!" Shun shook his head as he saw his friend clutch his hand and turn it into a fist. Riko didn't pay him mind and allowed the words of the girl to sink in. Give Tetsuya a chance, was basically what she had told them. He'll surprise you.

"Sea Captains don't like crew cuts." Shun said.

"I'll kill you!" Junpei answered.

"No, Izuki is right." Riko intervened. "If I'm the captain and I had to cut my crew, I wouldn't like it either. We're keeping Kuroko-kun and we're gonna see what he can offer." Shun smiled secretly. Junpei—at least tried—to relax himself and cool his head down. He nodded his agreement when he managed to return to his usual self. He had many worries, but he would voice them out later. The determined look in their coach's eyes was never to be messed with. Unless, of course, you were willing to do drills in the pool for the rest of the week.

"Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya," The clutch shooter sighed. "We're in for an interesting two years."

"Time flies like an arrow," Shun answered. "Fruit flies like a banana."

Junpei actually laughed at that one and nodded his head, agreeing with his friend. At least for the beginning of the worthless pun, he did. Riko nodded her head as well, and nearly shouted when she checked her watch for the first time in the past hour. It was nearing the start of class! They needed to head back to their respective classrooms. Her sudden standing caused Junpei and Shun to shake their heads though. They knew she would notice eventually.

"See you guys later!" She called out, running towards the door. "Be ready to face the first years!"

Junpei and Shun nodded, secretly sharing a smile. Oh, yes. They would be ready indeed.

* * *

_**YES! I actually made this chapter longer! I feel so proud of myself! There's more plot development. Okay, for some explanations though, your gonna have to wait. Have you guessed her illness yet? Hahaha! Aside from that, what did you think? I prefer this than the original one I wrote. Plus, this one has 6,000 words! I feel proud of myself…oh wow, I just repeated my previous statement. Sheesh, I'm turning into an old man. The puns I used proves that already.**_

_**Speaking of puns, do review if you need me to make explanations for them. I would use Japanese puns, but if I translate them in English, it won't be as fun. A good example is 'Suteki wa suteki'. This is a Japanese pun that Izuki used. You see, it's funny cause SUTEKI is steak and great. In English the pun would mean Steak is Great, which doesn't really make sense as a pun right? **_

_**I gave you a look at Saori's past just a bit. I just wanted to introduce her family more, and show her relationship with Ryota previous the Generation of Miracles. You can obviously guess from how she talks of Akashi that she isn't a big fan, huh? Also, I'm warning you know, this story is a bit OC heavy just because of the plot. Don't worry, it won't focus on the others, mainly just Saori.**_

_**Again, OPINIONS MATTER, so please, LEAVE A REVIEW, so that I could get some ideas from you or at least know if you think the story is too slow, too fast, or stuff like that. Really, it's a serious thing. Fellow writers should know what I'm talking about.**_

_**Reign, over and out!**_


	3. Chapter 02: Turmoil

**Title:** Saori's Basketball  
**Posted: **05/09/13  
**Rating: **T

**Summary:** "That's all you'll be if you keep playing." Seijuro said, eyes cold and empty as he stared at Saori's frozen figure. "You won't be able to jump. You won't be able to walk. You won't be able to breathe." He continued, her eyes set only on the ball that her hand had jerked away. "Just quit before you think you'll get anywhere. You won't."

**Disclaimer: **I own what I own, nothing more, nothing less.

**© 2013, Reignstein, **The plot of this story and the belong to me. Any similarities that might occur are purely coincidental and I apologize in advance if such an occurrence ever does happen.

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: **I have re-written the previous chapters and would like to advise you to read those first. I did major changes in the first chapter which is important for you to understand the story. So please read that first before heading over to this chapter. Thank you.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO  
"TURMOIL"**

* * *

_**WHAT IS HAPPENING:**__ TRY OUTS FOR THE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM  
__**WHERE WILL IT BE: **__GYMNASIUM B, HALF COURT A  
__**WHEN WILL IT BE:**__ FRIDAY (MAY 4TH), AFTER SCHOOL (17:00)  
__**WHO TO LOOK FOR:**__ HIMURO MARA, TEAM CAPTAIN_

_Blue eyes trailed across to piece of paper with curiosity. She was tempted to rip off a yellow paper from the bottom of the main notice sheet—it was a small piece paper that provided you with the necessary information so that you needn't return to the notice board to check if you remembered anything correctly—but the blond hesitated, unsure of what to do. Wasn't she being too hasty? She didn't even consult her father, not even Toki._

_When she was younger, Saori used to go to Basketball Games all the time. Her mother, Rina, would always have tickets—given to her by people she knew. She remembered blue eyes looking at her and Minami, excitedly and happily asking if they would want to watch with her. The younger rosette would always say no, finding no interest in sports, but Saori would always readily agree. It was the one thing she shared with her mother that both Toki and Minami didn't. It was, as cheesy as it sounded, __**their**__ thing together as mother and daughter._

"_You'll love it Saori!" Rina would always say as she handed the tickets to the collector. Saori always noticed how she got this glow in their eyes that lit her entire her face up. It was a sign that they were about to do something that Rina considered truly enjoyable. "Especially the last quarter! It's the best to watch, because everyone is at their best!" The blonde would always nod, and the ticket collector would always smile at her as they passed by, tipping his hat to her in greeting. Rina would tell her to wave, and so Saori always did._

_The blue eyed thirteen-year-old remembered clearly the first game that her mother had taken her to. It was a Super League game between Toyota Alvark and the Aisin Seahorses. Saori recalled the high paced play between the two teams, an obvious sign of how good each player was. She also recalled how her mother had cheered for Alvark, shouting out words like 'Defense' and 'Shoot!'. Rina had even explained to her the rules of each game and the importance of each players. She even often said that Saori would make a good Small Forward._

_The Seahorses won the game, but mother and daughter both went home smiling._

_Her hand moved on its own accord, reaching out and taking hold of the hanging yellow piece of paper. As though waking up from a deep slumber; however, she yanked her hand back and left the piece of paper intact. What was she thinking? There was absolutely no way that her father would allow her to play Basketball! He would often comment that she was a lot like her mother, and if she pursued this, it would only worry him more. Saori was becoming Rina in his eyes, and it was making him over protective as it is._

_But even if by chance—a miraculous one at that—he had said yes, Saori knew that it would be bad for her to get attached to such things. Ten years was far away from the current time, but there was no definite proof that she wouldn't be experiencing anything early. Plus, what if she ended up considering this as a career? It wouldn't do her any good to dream. As Minami often said to her, what Saori had was a death sentence._

_Saori's shoulders fell as the image of her smiling mother penetrated her brain. That same shine in her eyes as she told her the same words that she would repeat ever so often whenever they finished a game. "I'm happy that you love Basketball too, Saori." Rina would always begin. "It's a sport that really teaches you to never give up as long as you have time." It had taken the blonde awhile to realize that there was always a double meaning behind those words. It had taken her until the last day of her mother's short life to realize that she had said it to herself just as much as she said to her second daughter._

_Her hand fell back to her side, and the blonde released her defeat. She prayed to her mother, telling her that she was sorry that she couldn't become the Small Forward she wanted her to be. Saori wanted nothing more than to make Rina proud, but she didn't want loses and hatred on her just because her hand ended up letting go of the ball because of a sudden jerking motion. Saori didn't need all of that pressure. The smiling face of her mother turned into a frowning one. The blonde closed her eyes and sighed once more._

_Saori turned away from the list. She had originally been on her way to the cafeteria when the notice had caught her attention. She was supposed to meet up with Ryota for lunch. Taking the first two steps towards the right side of the hall though, the blonde heard a girl shout loudly._

"_Harumi! Harumi!" Came a high pitched voice. "Harumi, you have to see this!" All eyes turned towards the cause of the sudden ruckus. Saori was no exception. Many of the students rolled their eyes at the sight of the two girls and returned to their original activities. The blonde, though, watched them. She noticed that a girl with auburn hair and dark green eyes—the girl who had shouted no doubt—was pointing at the exact same notice form that she had been looking at merely moments ago._

"_Chii-chan, you seriously have to learn to calm down." Came the reply of a girl with short black hair (it didn't even reach her shoulders) and black eyes. This was Harumi, Saori assumed. This second girl was pale skinned, white as paper, and was tall. She was probably a good two inches taller than the blonde herself. Harumi also wore a hat with cat ears atop her head. "You disturbed all of the students in the hall."_

"_But Haru-chan!" The redhead replied. "It's so rare that the girls' basketball team have try outs!"_

"_Doesn't give you the right to shout and cause a fuss." The redhead pouted at her words._

"_You're no fun." Harumi smiled, as if taking the insult as a compliment._

_Saori was still fairly close to the two of them still, and couldn't help but laugh at the polar opposite friends. She found it endearing that the two of them seemed to get along, but the blue eyed thirteen-year-old was embarrassed when she realized that both girls had turned towards her. The red head looked slightly pissed that someone had listened in on their not-so-private conversation, but her glare turned into wide eyes when she caught sight of the blonde._

"_You're Kise Saori!" Saori was shocked when the red head was suddenly in front of her, face so close that it invaded personal space. "Oh my gosh! Harumi, look! It's Kise Saori!" Saori wasn't quite sure how the two girls knew her, but she nodded in confirmation none the less. She wasn't quite sure how to react to being recognized like a celebrity. Again, people in the hall rolled their eyes in annoyance. Some even left due to the noise._

"_I'm Kishimoto Chihiro!" The red head—now known as Chihiro—said, then pointing to her friend as she said: "And that's Nakatani Harumi. We're both big fans of your cousins!" Saori sighed. So that was what it was? It was because of Ryota's modeling? She was still confused how they actually knew her, but before she could even ask, Harumi had stepped up and pulled Chihiro, by the collar, back._

"_First, I'm not a fan." Harumi explained, looking at Saori. "Second, you're making her uncomfortable Chii-chan." Again, Chihiro pouted, this time even sticking her tongue out at her taller best friend. Harumi plainly ignored her and apologized to the blonde. She shook her head in response._

"_How do you know me?" Saori decided to ask._

"_Oh, Kise-san talked about you in one of his latest interviews!" Chihiro answered, Harumi now being the one to roll her eyes. "He was asked who he considered his best friend, and he explained that he had this cousin who he always spent time with and played with when he was younger! He even took out a picture of the two of you and allowed to the interviewer to get a copy of it. You two were so cute! He was pushing you on the swing!" She talked so fast that Saori found it a miracle that she understood a single word._

"_Oh…ugh…well, it's nice to meet you, Kishimoto-san." Was the only thing she managed to say._

"_You're making her uncomfortable." Harumi stated, sing-song-ish._

"_Oh, you can call me Chihiro!" Saori turned to Harumi with a small smile, and the black haired girl shrugged it off. She seemed used to being ignored. "And, wait, you were looking at the Basketball Notice too? Are you going to try out? Oh, that's great! We can be team mates and you can tell me all about Kise-san! You can be our third best friend!" _

"_Sorry," The blonde began. "I was just looking."_

_Saori felt bad when Chihiro deflated from her bubbly self. She noticed that Harumi released a sigh of her own. Had she said something wrong? What happened? "I'm really sorry." Saori safely said, Chihiro shaking her head as she took two of the hanging pieces of paper and handed one over to Harumi. It was the black haired girl that answered her unasked question about the sudden change of attitude._

"_There aren't a lot of girls who try out." She began. "They always find it hard to form a team, and last year they couldn't even join any of the leagues cause they lacked players. Chii-chan and I were hoping that maybe we could make the team this year though, and change that." Saori felt even worse. Should she tell them that she wanted to? Would they be offended if she told them that she just lacked the drive and the motivation? In the end, Saori just nodded her head in understanding and looked sadly at the notice._

"_Maybe this year will be different." She offered. "I'm sure Himuro-senpai will make sure it is. I heard that she's a transferee from America. Home of the NBA and the WNBA." It was actually Minami who had talked about it one night during dinner. Saori had commented how amazing it was, but Minami just complained about how now it was noisier in the Orchestra Room. Its window was just across the second gymnasium._

"_I heard that too." Harumi answered. "I'm actually really excited to try out on Friday."_

"_Good luck then!" The blonde said. "I don't think you'll need it, cause I'm sure you'll do great though."_

"_I'll need all the luck I can get!" Chihiro immediately said, making Saori laugh slightly._

_The three girls all went their separate ways after a few more shared words, with Saori heading towards the cafeteria and Harumi and Chihiro towards the library. In front of the door, Saori saw Ryota waiting and felt guilty. She was five minutes late, and her cousin was probably already hungry. "Ryota-nii!" She called out, running when he turned at waved at her to come over. "Sorry I'm late, I got side tracked."_

"_I was late too actually." Ryota answered honestly. "Teacher had to talk to me about something." He continued, cutting Saori off before she could voice her worries. "What food did you make for me today, Sa-o-ri-chan?" She rolled her eyes at that, and raised the lunchbox that she was carrying._

"_Tamago maki, Katsu curry rice, and Miso soup!" Without another word, Ryota had pulled her into the cafeteria. Saori wondered what was it about today that made her laugh a lot, but it was a welcomed occurrence, especially because everyone seemed to be walking on egg shells around her at home. She felt slightly guilty for not telling Ryota about what she had recently learned, but Saori knew that there was always a later. _

_For now, she would enjoy their lunch together like they've been doing since Elementary School._

* * *

She hid behind one of the chairs in the last row of seats in the Basketball Court. From there, Saori observed all of them play. This would be one of the six teams that would possess a Generation of Miracles player, and though she wanted nothing to do with the sport—or so she says—she did want to get to know that team that Tetsuya would be playing for. Saori was curious, and there was good reason to be. Seirin really had taken possession of a Golden Egg, but as her eyes trailed down Kagami Taiga, she noticed that perhaps Seirin had actually been luckier than most.

Aida Riko, the Seirin Coach and second year high school student, had them play upperclassmen versus underclassmen. Her blue eyes followed each movement the player she was currently observing made. Saori had watched Tetsuya more times than she could count, and so she focused on the other players that graced the court. She even spared the coach a glance and approved of her after a good five minutes. She was better than a lot of professionals, that was for sure.

At first, Saori's eyes had obviously drifted to Taiga. His tall physique and heavy build would attract anyone's eye. She had spent five minutes watching him, and she was certain that his ace talent would be the fact that he jumped high. Saori also suddenly found her hand copying a lot of the movements that he was doing. That was when she frowned and realized that whoever had trained him knew what they were talking about. His temper would prove disadvantageous though, that was for sure.

"Too aggressive, too excited, too childish." She mumbled to herself. "Needs more experience, needs a takedown, above average player, below average intelligence. Not a team player." Old habits die hard, Saori realized, mentally listing each activity and practice routine that Taiga would need to improve. It had been one of her jobs as the old Point Guard of the Teiko Girls' Basketball Team.

Saori's attention then drifted to the upperclassmen's Point Guard. Taiga had been in front of him, trying to block him from shooting, and it had shocked her when he suddenly passed to Hyuuga Junpei who was behind him. She had spent a good two minutes on him, concluding that he was their play maker. He had an Eagle Eye that allowed him to see things from a different perspective and a wider angle. He was cool and collected and he was a good on court strategist as well. He would prove important in any game, and again Saori congratulated Seirin on their luck.

"Good focus, lacking confidence, room for improvement." Were the words that she released. Saori was sure that if they had him on a training program that focused on his skill, his vision would improve. Perhaps it was even possible for him to no longer look at his opponent to steal a ball behind him. "Needs new training regimen."

The next player that had caught her attention was the Team Captain himself. He was an average player with a lack of a special ability, but she did notice the slight resemblance to Shintaro. A three-point shooter who never misses shots. She noticed how when he got confident his shots were easier to make, and she also noticed how in control of his center of gravity Junpei was. Their coach had really trained him well, cause things like that never came naturally to anyone. Saori applauded Riko.

"Room for improvement, speed training, fair blocker and good de—"

"You're still amazing as always, Saori-san." The blonde jumped and only managed to stop a scream from escaping her mouth. "As accurate as always. Are you going to hand your observations in to the coach?" Saori glared at the bluenette that was now crouching down beside her. If only she had Shun's ability, perhaps she would be able to notice him easier. Actually, she considered the entire bell collar idea once again.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?!" She whispered angrily, her glare not disappearing. "How did you know that I was here anyway? You were playing just a few minutes ago!" Tetsuya shrugged and turned back to the team that was playing. No one seemed to have noticed his disappearance just yet, and so he remained by Saori, curious why she was watching their practice game.

"I saw you watching Izuki-senpai," Tetsuya explained. "And I wondered why someone who wanted nothing to do with Basketball was watching our game and observing our players." Saori bit her lip and played with her fingers. He had caught her red handed, and now she was not sure how to answer.

"I—I—I was walking to the library and I got lost and ended up here." The bluenette turned to her with his stoic look, and yet she knew that he was mocking her. "What? My sense of direction is bad. Just ask Ryota-nii, he would tell you about all the times we got lost because of me." It was a lie, but she highly doubted that Tetsuya would be talking to Ryota anyways. Even if he did, Ryota would probably just agree to insult her. He loved doing that lately, putting her down and belittling her.

"The library is on the other side of the school." Tetsuya stated. "Even a person with the worst sense of direction wouldn't get lost and end up at this gym." The blonde bit her lip once again and shook her head. She clenched her hands into fists and came up with a different excuse.

"I just wanted to watch for old time's sake." Saori countered. "I got a message from Rei-chan awhile ago, and I began thinking about my times with them. I thought that watching you guys play would just remind me of those good memories." If Tetsuya didn't believe the lie, he didn't show it. He didn't question her about it either, deciding to just crouch beside her and continue watching the game.

It wasn't really a lie, if Saori would ever admit it. She missed her old team, her old friends, and if she could, she would rewind time to those days where they celebrated and practiced together. They would all hang out in Mara's house and party like it was the end of the world when they won games. When they lost, their coach would treat them to a restaurant and boost their confidence. When they practiced, it was like being around the sisters she wished she had. Saori wondered if she made the right decision by rejecting Chihiro's offer to go to Touou High School.

She could have been with Satsuki there too.

"Pressure defense." Saori muttered, her blue eyes now following Rinnosuke as he went against Taiga. "Hook shooter." She added, taking notice of his form. It was probably weird to understand, but Saori had been able to just see and understand things that others didn't. Satsuki had described it as a cross between Seijuro's Emperor Eye and her data gathering skills. It was one of the few times she had actually felt shy about accepting a compliment.

Riko had begun shouting something at the first years when Tetsuya spoke again, causing Saori to jump. She had forgotten all about him being there and had muttered and whispered all of her observations as if she were alone. "Do you miss it?" He had asked, but the question did not register in the blonde's mind. All that ran through it was that she really, really, **really** needed to gift him a bell collar or something. Especially if they were going to be in the same school and he would insist talking to her.

"What?" Saori asked.

"Do you miss it?" Tetsuya repeated.

Saori actually scoffed. Of course she missed it. The rewarding feel of the sweat dripping down her tired body after every game—more so if they won, the pressure of the final quarter, especially if they were behind, her team mates being there with her through thick and thin. There was a lot to miss, and she would have given up an arm just to go back to those joyous times. She would never, ever, share the truth with any of the Generation of Miracles. No, for them, she would pretend that Basketball was a curse and nothing more.

"No," She told him.

"Do you really believe that?" Came the stoic question.

Saori actually smiled. A real one.

No matter what anyone said, she knew how keen an observer Tetsuya was. Probably more so than her cousin, and his skill relied heavily on such skills. Ryota could have probably seen through her lie too, but only Tetsuya would have been brash enough to come out and ask her if she really believed the words that came out of her mouth. Seijuro would have probably seen through it too, but Saori rarely ever thought of what the red head would do. The last time she did, she ended up losing to him. She ended up quitting the sport she had thought was her escape.

"If I keep telling myself that," Saori started. "Maybe I will some day."

"If you love Basketball, then you never will." It was the one time she had ever heard him sound so sympathetic. "Even if you end up hating it with all of your heart, you're never going to end up not missing it, and you're just going to feel guilty for giving up on it." Her smile widened as she shook her head, standing from her crouching position and turning to him as he stood as well. She would keep lying.

"It's a good thing I don't love Basketball then." He gave her that look that he often gave Ryota when he was training him, a look that basically screamed that 'I don't believe your crap'. Saori's smile didn't waver though, and Tetsuya actually glared at her. His beliefs and her beliefs were two different things, and he would never truly understand what she had to go through and she is going through. "Not like you, at least, Tetsuya-kun."

"What happened to you?" He retorted.

"Stuff." She answered. "Stuff that even you or Seijuro-kun wouldn't understand."

"And would Kise-kun?" Saori's smile fell at his words.

"He never even tried." The blonde backed away, approaching the gymnasium door behind her. "He didn't even listen." Was that sadness or pity she saw in his eyes? Maybe both, maybe neither. It was probably just her imagination.

"You should get back, I think Taiga-san has realized that you've disappeared." Her words were made obvious by the sudden shout of the angered red head. They were losing by quite a bit, and Tetsuya's passes would be a big help. Even Riko was shouting for the bluenette now, threatening more drills on him.

"I don't believe anything you say." He called after her as she was about to close the door.

"That's not my problem." She came back. "That's all on you."

She shut the door of the gymnasium and made her way towards the library after that, Tetsuya's final words ringing in her ears. It really shouldn't have mattered if he believed her or not, but why did it? Why did she care so much that Tetsuya wanted her back in the sport? Why did she care so much that he cared? Why did he care in the first place? They weren't all that close before, and she had only ever been around him when Ryota had been following him around. Most of the time, he had hung out with Daiki.

"Get out of my head…" She whispered slightly, remembering the final game that the Generations of Miracles had played. Saori had left in the middle of the final quarter, but there were rumors after that. She remembered Satsuki telling her that something had happened, but she never really did pay any attention. Now, she wished she did. Maybe it would shed some light on the bluenette's awfully weird behavior.

"…Stay out of my head."

* * *

"_What position are you aiming for?" Someone asked. _

_Saori had been tying the laces of her sneakers into a neat double knot when she was forced to look up. The voice sounded excited, and so Saori thought that it would be either Chihiro or Harumi from earlier. She was shocked; however, to come face to face with a girl with hair the color of caramel and eyes the color of lime. "I mean, nearly all the spots are vacant cause the previous team graduated. It's like a free-for-all!" The brunette added._

_Shaking her head slightly, Saori took note that the girl was jittery. It was like she had just ingested a few packs of sugar past her limit. Her eyes screamed anticipation, and her hands were clutched together, like in prayer, as she stared at the blonde and waited for her answer. Looking around, Saori realized that they were the final two girls left in the locker room. As if the brunette hadn't made it obvious that she was talking to her by just standing in front of her._

"_I…don't know." Saori decided to say. "My mom said I would make a good SF." She watched the brunette's face drop for just a second, and then she bounced back into her jittery self. She was wearing a lose black t-shirt with a pair of yellow biker shorts, Saori took notice. The blonde had gone with a white tank top and a pair of loose brown Bermuda shorts, herself. There was not a doubt in her mind that this jittery girl was going to try out just by her attire, so her face either fell because she wanted the same position or she knew something about it._

_The brunette extended her hand, and Saori took it as the other girl helped her to her feet. She was amazed that the brunette didn't fall back completely when she was obviously shocked by the sudden force of her pull. Saori had jerked forward, but the other girl just smiled as she stepped back. The blonde took notice that the girl had good control over her sense of gravity. She doubted it was the Small Forward position the brunette was after._

"_Good balance," Saori commented, earning her a wide smile from the other girl. She had released her hold on Saori's wrist after that, walking back to the bench and fetching her water bottle from her green and white duffel bag. "If you jumped high enough—(Which Saori thought was the case, analyzing the muscles on the girl's legs)—you would make a dangerous Shooting Guard." The smile the brunette gave her morphed, wickedly, into a smirk._

"_Small Forward, you say?" The lime eyed girl asked, and Saori was just about to correct that she had said Shooting Guard when she was cut off. "I think you've got the wrong position in mind if you're observation skills are that good." There was slight flicker on confusion in Saori's face, but she understood—albeit after the girl had left the locker room—that the brunette had meant her choice of position._

_Shaking her head, trying to get her focus back, Saori grabbed her own water bottle and headed out towards the Gymnasium. It was safe to say that Saori was rather shocked by the amount of girls she saw there when she went through the double doors. Harumi had mentioned that there was a big lack of girls who wanted to join, but there was a good fifteen females there. Saori frowned at the thought that she had done this for nothing. She had tried to get her father to agree for nothing._

_The blonde roamed over the teenage girls in the court. There were some that she could tell lacked the stamina and the skill, and there were some that she registered as too short to make it. She particularly paid attention to the girls who were sitting on the bench and gossiping away. Saori pulled a face at them, thinking that they must have been confident if they weren't even confident. Looking at their lack of muscle and lack of interest, she concluded that they were either doing this to impress boys or they just wanted to amuse themselves._

_Moving her blue eyes away from them, she spotted Chihiro and Harumi on the far left of the half-court, stretching their legs and arms. Chihiro had her whole upper body bent forward over her left leg, her hands touching her toes. Saori was shocked by her flexibility, but was more shocked that she hadn't noticed it earlier. She had always been able to tell certain things, even when her mother had taken her to games when she was younger._

_Harumi was standing beside Chihiro, her right hand over her left elbow as she stretched her left arm behind her head. She had turned slightly and spotted her, causing her kick her best friend slightly and point in the blonde's direction. Jade eyes lit up, and a hand came up and waved at Saori. "Kise-chan! Over here!" The blonde smiled as she made her way over, returning the wave when she neared. "You decided to try out after all!" She exclaimed loudly, causing most of the others to turn their way. Harumi rolled her eyes once again._

"_How many times do I have to say don't get over excited?" The black haired girl asked._

"_As much times as I have to tell you to smile." The red head answered._

"_There are a lot of girls trying out, huh?" Saori decided to say, trying to avoid the spat that she noticed the two get into every so often. "I thought you said that there were rarely any girls who do this sort of thing, Nakatani-san?" Harumi turned to her and shrugged, pointing towards the girls on the bench that Saori had distastefully looked at earlier. Chihiro glared in their direction too, sticking out her tongue when they looked at her in question. Saori almost laughed._

"_Those girls are just trying to get boys." Harumi answered. "They think if their on the girls' basketball team, guys would find them athletic and approachable. Doesn't matter to them if they win or lose." Chihiro nodded vehemently, and Saori clicked her tongue and turned to the girls who were now glaring their way. Out of good fun, she too stuck out her tongue. They seemed rather offended, seeing as their glares hardened tenfold._

"_How about the others?" Saori asked, turning away from the ignorant females._

"_No skill." Chihiro answered. "I bet most of them can't even shoot from the free throw line." The blonde had to agree, and Harumi nodded as well, expressing her positive reaction to her best friend's observation. Looking around, Saori was trying to find the brunette that she had met in the locker room earlier. She wanted to know Chihiro's and Harumi's opinions on her. Wanted to know if they got that same strange feeling around her as she did. Sadly, Saori couldn't spot her anywhere. Perhaps she had forgotten something in the locker room._

_Suddenly, a loud whistle echoed within the Gymnasium._

_By the door stood a girl with long, braided, black hair. She had a determined and menacing look in her blue eyes as she eyed them all with distaste. Saori swore that she even growled she spotted the girls sitting on the bench on the other side of the court. Those girls stood up immediately as they recognized her, and Saori took her best guess that the black haired girl was the Team Captain: Himuro Mara._

_Saori eyed her from head to toe, taking notice of some of her skills. She had good jumping ability, she had strength in her arms, but she wasn't very fast. When her blue eyes met Saori's own, Mara smirked. She had the same reaction when she saw Chihiro and Harumi as well, nodding towards their little group of three. Turning to her two new friends, she found that both were rather happy with the attention. Chihiro had a wide grin on her face, while Harumi had a small smirk. Saori shared Chihiro's expression openly, sparing a glance at the now standing bench girls who were glaring at them with a strong killing intent. She was so tempted to stick her tongue out at them again._

"_Front and center, all of you!" Mara released a loud sound from the whistle, and all the girls busied over towards her. Saori stood beside Chihiro, and Harumi was on the red head's other side. They were at the very last part of the horizontal line that the teenage girls formed. "There are a lot you, aren't there?" Saori sensed distaste in her words, a slight disgust even, but they all nodded none the less. _

_Mara walked in front of the girls one by one, eyeing them from head to toe and taking notes in the clipboard that she was holding. She would step in front of other girls and invade their personal space, and when she found whatever it was that she was looking for, she would step back and write on her clipboard once again. _

_When she reached Saori, she did the same and stepped in front of her. Blue connected with blue, and Saori didn't even shiver when Mara dared to step closer. The captain must have been impressed, cause she stepped back with a smirk and moved on to Chihiro to do the same. Saori was to afraid to turn to her left to see what was going on—seeing as the captain might get mad—but she had a feeling that both her new friends had passed with flying colors. The blonde would have been shocked if they didn't._

"_Let me explain to you how this is going to work." Mara began, speaking into the megaphone, that she had clipped to the waist band of her jogging pants, as she looked at all of them. "I'm going to divide you into balanced teams of five. When one player is missing from a team, I will take the place. Expect no help from me but the minimal, understood?" Saori nodded along with the other girls, and as Mara was about to continue, one of the sitting bench girls spoke up._

"_You mean we actually have to play and get sweaty?" Saori, Chihiro, and even Harumi had to hold back laughter at her words. Mara, on the other hand, found no amusement in them. Her blue eyes turned to slits as the idiotic woman continued to talk. "Don't we just get in when we come here? I mean, like, you don't even have a lot of players. Shouldn't all of us just get in?" Saori and Chihiro were holding onto each others' shoulders just to keep upright. Harumi, to their shock, was able to control herself._

_Mara, annoyed, stepped up to the girl with her eyes almost cat like and predatory. "It takes five players to play a game," She began. Her voice was cold and angry, and she reminded Saori of Minami when someone insulted her flute playing. "Six players to form a team just in case of substitution for fouls or injury." The group of three at the end wondered if the bench girl was pissing in her shorts. She seemed mighty frightened. _

"_At most, I only need five of you. So shut up and listen."_

_The bench girl nodded vigorously and Mara returned to her original standing spot as she continued to explain. "You're going to play against each other in sudden death games. The team that wins all their games gets the open spots." It was simple enough, but Saori wondered what would happen if a team with four members won. As if to answer the unasked question, Mara continued with: "I'll pick the the best player from the second placing team if by chance only four members make it."_

_For the next two to three minutes, the only words that could be heard from Mara were: "You move here" and "You get over there". She never once made Saori move away from Chihiro and Harumi, but she did separate the other girls into groups of five as she previously mentioned. The only time she said anything and pointed to them, was to direct a girl to move over to their group of three. Chihiro was ecstatic to meet her._

_Saori smiled as Chihiro gave their new team mate a welcoming hello and introduction, but she was surprised to see the brunette from the locker rooms standing there. She had a wide smirk as she spotted Saori, and she walked over to her after saying hello back to Chihiro. Saori somehow felt comfortable to be grouped with her, knowing that she had skill, but her final words from the locker room were still fresh in her mind._

"_I like this group." The brunette said. "Don't you too, Captain?"_

_Harumi, Chihiro, and Saori were shocked to find Mara standing near them with a smirk on her face. It bothered Saori that the brunette had seen her when she was standing behind her, and that strange feeling from the locker room returned. Mara approached them though, so she couldn't question, and realized that they were the only team with four members. The other fifteen girls were sorted into three groups of five. It was weird to say, but Saori felt really confident about the team she was a part of._

"_What positions are you playing?" Mara asked, now standing in front of the four of them._

_Saori watched as Chihiro and Harumi answered "Power Forward" and "Center" respectively. When it was the brunette's turn, she was not surprised to hear "Shooting Guard". When it came for Saori's turn though, she cut off by the brunette beside her before she could answer her wanted spot. _

"_She's a Point Guard." The brunette said. "So that means you're playing your Small Forward position Captain." Mara eyed the brunette warily, but nodded as she wrote those in the clip board and walked over to the other teams to ask for who was who. Harumi and Chihiro glared at our new team mate, obviously sensing my distaste with what she did. All the brunette did was smile though._

"_Trust me, that's your position." Was all she said._

"_Who are you anyway?" The blonde ask, a bit ticked. My mother had said Small Forward. She wanted to be a Small Forward._

"_Takahashi Rei." She answered calmly. "And trust me when I say that you would make a great Point Guard." Saori had no idea why, but she just sighed and nodded, making the brunette known as Rei smirk widely. When Harumi had suggested that they all stretch and practice and get to know each other's moves, Saori had this strange feeling that something had started underneath her nose._

_She just didn't know what it was._

* * *

_**VIOLA! I have the newest chapter for all of you! Remember, please read the previous chapter because it has been rewritten. So, sorry again, for the wait for this chapter. I sort of got busy and lost inspiration, but here I am, back again. I was just reading a few chapters of the manga and I just had the urge to re-write this entire thing. Hopefully it payed off and you liked this chapter! If you didn't I have a gun to my head—just saying. Okay, not seriously. Just messing with you all!**_

_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY 20TH YAMADA RYOSUKE! Hahaha, isn't that random? Sorry, I just wanted to have that out there. I mean, come on, if you were a fan of his band, you would understand the hype. He's my third favourite member in that band, so I just wanted to greet him!**_

_**I don't really have much to say in this AN except that I would appreciate the support and if you would share some reviews and opinions. It really inspires me to write when you give me feedback and to know that you are enjoying the story. Another thing would be that sorry if it's a bit OC heavy, this chapter, but her past team is really important. **_

_**Reign, over and out.**_


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